For more I-4 construction information, visit www.i4exitguide.com, the Internet’s largest and most complete website devoted to Interstate 4. Detailed exit service listings… discount lodging, camping, food, gas and more for every exit from Tampa to Daytona!

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and that means the unofficial start to summer! As Americans prepare for long-weekend getaways, trips to the beach and family picnics, they’ll also be faced with what’s predicted to be one of the busiest Memorial Day Weekends on record. Relatively low gas prices means the roads will be extra crowded.

Ready for your next road trip? The winter doldrums are gone, replaced by the pleasant temperatures offered by Central Florida’s Great Outdoors. Each year, guests from all over the world flock to the West Volusia area, experiencing the area’s abundant wildlife, tropical plants, natural springs and unique eco-environments and habitats. To help you enjoy the new season, here are just a few of West Volusia’s top spots.

The St. Johns River was once the area’s main source for commerce and trade with paddlewheel boats regularly bringing goods and people to the region. Today, the St. Johns River, designated an “American Heritage River”, is an idyllic respite, teeming with abundant and varied wildlife and tropical plants. These boat tours offer the perfect opportunity for close-up views to enjoy the great beauty of this unspoiled paradise.

The Refuge is bordered by the magnificent St. Johns River and the Ocala National Forest, and spans more than 20,000 acres. Lake Woodruff is a birder’s paradise where enthusiasts come for a glimpse of over 230 bird species and a variety of native wildlife.

Lyonia Preserve is a 360-acre scrub habitat established to restore and preserve sandy soil plants and small animal life. The conservation effort removed overgrown sand pines to re-establish bare sand areas with low-growing scrub plant species. The preserve has 3.5 miles of sugar-sand hiking trails where you’ll meet the resident star, the Florida Scrub Jay, an inquisitive, friendly bird known to land on a visitor’s head for a closer look.

Canoes, kayaks and paddleboats are available to explore wildlife along the spring run. Enjoy hiking trails leading through various terrains – home to over 125 species of birds and the famous Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant, where diners cook their own pancakes at their table.

Home to the largest spring on the St. Johns River, the park is a well-known winter refuge to hundreds of West Indian manatees. Boardwalk strolls showcase the spring run teeming with turtles, numerous fish and elusive migratory birds.

For more I-4 road trip information, visit www.i4exitguide.com, the Internet’s largest and most complete website devoted to Interstate 4. Detailed exit service listings… discount lodging, camping, food, gas and more for every exit from Tampa to Daytona!

The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that 48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, an increase of one million travelers compared with last year. This represents a 1.9 percent increase over 2015, and the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27.

“One million more Americans than last year will carve out time to visit with friends and family this Thanksgiving,” AAA President and CEO Marshall Doney said. “Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding at close to $2 per gallon. Others will fly, take the bus or set off on a cruise to celebrate with their loved ones.”

Driving remains most popular mode of travel for Thanksgiving The vast majority—more than 89 percent—of holiday travelers will drive this Thanksgiving. The 43.5 million Americans planning a Thanksgiving road trip represents an increase of 1.9 percent over last year. Air travel is expected to increase 1.6 percent, with 3.69 million Americans flying to their holiday destinations. Travel by other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, will increase only slightly this Thanksgiving, to 1.44 million travelers.

Thanksgiving gas prices second-cheapest in nearly a decade Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.17, 12 cents more than the average price on Thanksgiving last year ($2.05). Most U.S. drivers will pay the second-cheapest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2008, when the national average was $1.85.

For more I-4 information, visit www.i4exitguide.com, the Internet’s largest and most complete website devoted to Interstate 4. Detailed exit service listings… discount lodging, camping, food, gas and more for every exit from Tampa to Daytona!

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